I plan to hit the strip for the first time in my F100. I don't intend to race it ever again, I just want to know what kind of 1/4 mile I can get out of it. I don't want to embarass myself, though. Does anyone have any helpful hints. I plan to lighteni it up a bit by removing the heavy bumpers and the tool box. I have never driven on a drag strip before. Any advice would be great. Thanks guys.

 

take your right foot, and press hard, real hard. hang on.

 

17.5 seconds at 78mph. Not to knock it it's just what I would expect out of a stocker. Let us know.

 

don't use the waterbox to burn out unless you're using slicks... you're street tires will do better just as they are, rather than all hot and slippery from the waterbox, the DOT material does not need the burn out to heat up the tires.

you should be able to just drive around the wet spot in the staging area instead of through it.

if you're just running for time, it's better to be late than red-light by trying to race the guy next to you. take your time (not minutes mind you, just an extra .5 second) to make sure that you have the right rpms at launch and you're comfortable with what you're doing.

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driving advice...

(air down the tires 10 or 15 lbs)

if you've got a manual, take some time in an empty parking lot with good asphalt and see what RPM you can launch at without lighting up the tires. remember what it feels like at that RPM and do the same thing at the track. take some time on a long straight road and see what RPM your engine seems to like to pull best at (and doesn't come apart).. i'm not saying speed down the road, but in 1st gear where do you feel the power come on?? should be 3500+rpm

with an auto, get back to the parking lot and foot brake a few times to see what RPM you can launch at without lighting up the tires. DON'T let the trans shift itself... get it in first gear and see what RPM the engine pulls best at, then shift to 2nd and you should feel a surge in power since you're back at the start of the power curve again...

you should be shifting just after the engine pulls the hardest.


** hardest thing about launching a pickup is that there is relatively little weight above the rear tires to plant them. so you're not going to have a great 60' time at all...don't even worry about it though, you can't help it too much. you could take a large hose clamp and clamp your rear springs packs together. only clamp the springs in front of the axel.

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if possible, you can drop the exhaust at the track...not possible with welded pipes.

a lot of guys find they gain some power by removing the engine fan at the track. since the car is not running that long, and it performs best when hot, why keep the added weight and drag on the engine???

for sure lose any extra weight. cb antenna, large bumpers, tool chest, tailgate, air filter housing, anything behind the seat (chains, jacks, tools), spare tire...

for the short time you'll be using the engine at the track, you might even find better results if you take the air filter off all together. it's a ~30 year old engine anyway, what's it gonna hurt?

********** Before you get in the staging lanes, watch what others are doing... try to get a feel for what the etiquete at the track is... everyone at the track should be happy to help you learn esp. if it's your first time

 

Unless you spin the tires a lot on lauch I would air them up to max to decrease rolling resistance. Shallow stage for the best E.T. / just barely turn on the second yellow. Bump up the initial timing a tad. Roll up the windows but don't lock the doors.

And Weight = Anti horsepower

Anything you can take off will help.

 

thanks alot guys. I am so excited about it. I don't really expect to get all that great of a time, but it will be fun. The coolest thing is that my wife is into going this weekend. she said she might even want to run it once. I won't stop her. If she's into it, that means more time and money she won't mind me spending on it. I will use every bit of advice you guys gave me. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks again.

 

remember the guy that ran a 9.9 in the 1/8th?

now if we could convince shazam to do this.

 

Shazam could run a 9.9 in the 1/8th with a brick under the accelerator. I run low 9s on street tires.

 

Bad news guys. The weather forecast for this weekend just sent south. Supposed to be rainy all day. We live close enough to the track that if it is possible to run at the last minute we will be there, though. I'll do what you said though and keep you posted. I've been reading this forum for a while now and from what I can see, people think shazam is a god. I think pretty highly too. That's some pretty mean horsepower and torque from a motor that, form what I understand, isn't expected to give that kind of output. My hat's off to him. Maybe one of these days I'll be there.
Jay